Installations for the continuous production of needled multi-ply materials

ABSTRACT

An installation for the continuous production of a composite multiply material intended for use in mattress making, for upholstery and the like. The installation includes means for combining a sheet of foamed material with a sheet of textile material for forming a multi-ply web. A needling device is disposed adjacent the multiply web for needling same to cause securement of the individual sheets together. The needling device includes needles for penetrating both the center and edge portions of the web, with the needles disposed for engaging the edge portions being positioned closely adjacent so as to cause a substantially higher needle penetration density along the edge portions of the web. A cutting device is disposed adjacent the web for cutting the web into predetermined lengths. An auxiliary needling device is disposed adjacent the cutting device and has a high needle density thereon for penetrating the web with a high penetration density within a strip extending transversely across the web, which strip is located in the vicinity where the web is cut so that all edges of the cut web are needled together with a penetration density substantially greater than the penetration density present in the center portion of the web.

wttltetd States Patent 11 1 hetere [451 Sept. a, 1973 [76] lnventor: Antonio Betere, General Sanjurjo 55,

Madrid-3, Spain [22] Filed: Feb. 3, 11971 21 Appl. No.: 112,319

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 5, 1970 Spain 382469 [52] 11.5. C1. 28/4 R, 28/72.2 R, 161/80 [51] lint. C1 10041: 18/00 [58] Field of Search 161/149, 80, 81;

28/4 R, 4 N, 72.2 R, 72.2 F; 156/148; 112/121.23, 121.14, 420-425, 409-411 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,863,269 6/1932 Fox 161/80 X 2,036,766 4/1936 McDennott... 28/4 R 3,360,421 12/1967 Sands 28/72.2 R X 3,451,885 6/1969 Klein 28/72.2 R X 3,613,190 10/1971 Crosby 28/4 R 3,385,246 5/1968 Schlegel 112/118 2,337,413 12/1943 Remington 112/121.14 2,319,370 5/1943 Smith et a1 112/121.14 2,238,773 4/1941 Haberstump ll2/l21.23

Primary Examiner-Roben R. Mackey Attorney-Woodhams, Blanchard & Flynn [57] ABSTRACT An installation for the continuous production of a composite multiply material intended for use in mattress making, for upholstery and the like. The installation in cludes means for combining a sheet of foamed material with a sheet of textile material for forming a multi-ply web. A needling device is disposed adjacent the multiply web for needling same to cause securement of the individual sheets together. The needling device includes needles for penetrating both the center and edge portions of the web, with the needles disposed for engaging the edge portions being positioned closely adjacent so as to cause a substantially higher needle penetration density along the edge portions of the web. A cutting device is disposed adjacent the web for cutting the web into predetermined lengths. An auxiliary needling device is disposed adjacent the cutting device and has a high needle density thereon for penetrating the web with a high penetration density within a strip extending transversely across the web, which strip is located in the vicinity where the web is cut so that all edges of the cut web are needled together with a penetration density substantially greater than the penetration density present in the center portion of the web.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures Patented Sept. 4, 1973 2 Shuts-Sheet l Inventor tn Wm] mlmil Patented Sept. 4, 1973 3,755,863

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I noenlor 44 70/1 0 B5751?! All my: I

HNSTALLATIGNS IFGR THE CGNTHNUOUS PRGDEMITHON 01F NEEDLE!) MUL'lIl-PLY MATERHALS The present invention relates to improvements in and to installations for the continuous manufacture of composite backing materials for upholstery goods and the like, and in particular, to an improved form of installation for making a composite, multi-ply material for use in mattresses.

It is already known to use in the manufacture of mattresses, blankets of multi-ply material arranged between the top and bottom planes of the springs and the outer cover or case thereof, in order to obtain a greatly more comfortable assembly. Among the materials most suitable for such use are those consisting of a sheet of spongy or foam material permanently joined on one or both sides to a fleece or layer of textile fibers, preferably cotton wadding or batting either by glueing or by needling, the latter being the most secure method of joining a fleece to a sheet of foamed material such as polyurethane, since glueing does not prevent loosening of the textile fibers farthest from such polyurethane sheet.

However, such known forms of needling do not ensure any joining of the two materials at their edges which would satisfactorily resist the forces applied to the multi-ply sheet during the making of such a mattress.

Consequently, the object of this invention is to overcome this drawback by appreciably increasing the density of the needling in the parts of the continuous strip of multi-ply material which will form the edges of the said assembly.

The improvements forming the object of the present invention will be more clearly apparent from the description now following in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. I is a diagrammatic elevation of an installation for the continuous production of a multi-ply material incorporating the improvements according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 and 3 are views in plan and end elevation respectively, showing the distribution of the holes in a multi-ply material produced in an installation according to FIG. l showing the different density obtained in the edge parts of such a material.

in FIG. 11, the stock roll or cylinder 1 carries a continuous strip of porous material 3, such as foamed polyurethane, and rotates in guides 2. The continuous strip or web 3 is conveyed by rollers 49 or equivalent conveying means to the feed system for the textile material, preferably of cotton, shown at 5 in the drawings and the intake end whereof incorporates means for removing any foreign matter which may be held in the textile fibers.

After forming the layer of textile fibers 6, the latter is transferred by an endless conveyor belt '7 to the pressure rollers 8 which receive this layer and form it into a uniform fibrous fleece.

Upon leaving the pressure rollers 8, the two sheets 3 and 6, of porous material and of textile fiber, respectively, are joined at 9 and then proceed to the penetration stage which is performed in a machine it) equipped with needle heads 11 which introduce the fleece 6 of textile fibers into the sheet 30f polyurethane material.

The needle head it carries an arrangement of needles wherein the needles which penetrate the center portion of the web are more widely spaced apart than the needles disposed for penetrating the edge portions of the web. This results in a higher penetration density in the edge regions of the continuous web of multi-ply material, while the provision of the auxiliary needle head 12 treats the material transversely and at selected intervals at a penetration density similar to that existing at the edges of the web.

in these regions, the denser treatment across the web is applied at intervals to suit the lengths into which the continuous, multi-ply web is subsequently to be parted. These periodic cuts are made with a cross-cutting device shown at 13 in FIG. 1, consisting simply of a conventional saw of known kind, the cutting periods of which are predetermined according to requirements. Finally, the installation has an end stage for the discharge of the blankets, shown at M, where the latter arrive already cut to the preselected lengths required and subjected to a needling process by uniformly spaced needles in their central parts and with a closer treatment density at the edges.

The effect of the variable needle density on the apparatus of the present invention is clearly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, wherein FIG. 2 diagramatically illustrates a multi-ply sheet 15 of predetermined length after same has been cut from the web by the cutting device 13. The center portion of the sheet 15 has been needled by the head ll resulting in the formation of the openings or penetrations 36 which are spaced a substantial distance apart, which openings 16 are of a low penetration density per square unit of area of the sheet l5. However, since the head ll. has a substantially higher concentration of needles disposed for engaging the opposite edges, these needles result in the formation of a plurality of closely adjacent openings or penetrations ll! along the opposite edges of the sheet 15, which openings 17 have a high penetration density per unit area of the sheet. Further, since the auxiliary head 12 also has a large number of closely spaced needles thereon, the auxiliary head 12 also results in the transverse edges of the sheet 15, due to the cutting of the sheet, having a large number of penetrations 13 formed therealong. The penetrations m are also of a high density per unit area so that the penetrations l8 along the transverse edges are thus similar to the density of the penetrations 17 as formed along the longitudinally extending edges of the sheet. Thus, the penetration den sity adjacent all of the edges is thus substantially greater than the penetration density of the center portion of the sheet, thereby providing a much more secure interconnection of the two sheets due to the high density needling along the longitudinally and transversely extending edges.

Obviously, the installation according to the present invention can treat a continuous web of any required width and can be modified in its details such as the spacing of the roll bearings 2 as well as the needle heads ill, 12 which determine the maximum treatment density at the edges of the said multi-ply web.

What I claim is:

l. improvements in an apparatus for the continuous production of a composite multi-ply material intended for use in mattress making, for upholstery and similar goods, said apparatus having means for superimposing and combining a first sheet of material in the form of a fleece of fibers with a second sheet of a porous mate rial to form a composite multi-ply continuous web, and means for cutting said continuous web to form composite sheets of predetermined length, the improvement comprising:

first needling means including a plurality of needles for penetrating the center portion of said continuous web for forming a pattern of holes in said center portion of a first density; and second needling means including a plurality of needles for penetrating said web along the opposite longitudinally extending edge portions thereof for forming a pattern of holes in said edge portion having a second density substantially greater than the density of the holes formed in the center portion; third needling means including a plurality of needles for penetrating said continuous web along a zone extending substantially transverse to the longitudinal length of said web for forming a pattern of holes in said zone having a density substantially greater than the density of the holes formed in the center portion of the web; and

said means for cutting the continuous web into sheets of predetennined length causing the web to be cut in the region of said transverse zone so that the end edge portions of the resulting sheet have higher density hole patterns formed therein for securely connecting the end edge portions of the superimposed sheets;

whereby the end and edge portions of the resulting sheet contain needling patterns having a density of holes greater than that of the center portion to result in a more secure connection of the superimposed sheets. 

1. Improvements in an apparatus for the continuous production of a composite multi-ply material intended for use in mattress making, for upholstery and similar goods, said apparatus having means for superimposing and combining a first sheet of material in the form of a fleece of fibers with a second sheet of a porous material to form a composite multi-ply continuous web, and means for cutting said continuous web to form composite sheets of predetermined length, the improvement comprising: first needling means including a plurality of needles for penetrating the center portion of said continuous web for forming a pattern of holes in said center portion of a first density; and second needling means including a plurality of needles for penetrating said web along the opposite longitudinally extending edge portions thereof for forming a pattern of holes in said edge portion having a second density substantially greater than the density of the holes formed in the center portion; third needling means including a plurality of needles for penetrating said continuous web along a zone extending substantially transverse to the longitudinal length of said web for forming a pattern of holes in said zone having a density substantially greater than the density of the holes formed in the center portion of the web; and said means for cutting the continuous web into sheets of predetermined length causing the web to be cut in the region of said transverse zone so that the end edge portions of the resulting sheet have higher density hole patterns formed therein for securely connecting the end edge portions of the superimposed sheets; whereby the end and edge portions of the resulting sheet contain needling patterns having a density of holes greater than that of the center portion to result in a more secure connection of the superimposed sheets. 